East Carolina InvitationalNORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State volleyball team will search for its first victory of the season this weekend when the Spartan head south to take part in the East Carolina Invitational this Friday and Saturday at the Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
NSU will play in back-to-back matches on Friday. The Spartans face Tennessee Tech at 4 p.m. and then the host Pirates at 7 p.m. They will also face UNC Wilmington on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Live stats will be available for all three matches. Check the table above for those links.
Last Time OutNSU dropped all three of its matches last weekend at the JMU Classic. James Madison and Villanova were victorious by 3-0 scores, while the Spartans won the first set against Charleston Southern before the Buccaneers took the last three for a 3-1 win over NSU.
Nice DebutA pair of freshmen made an immediate impact last weekend in the season opening tournament at James Madison. Right side hitter
Hope Forsythe led the team with 32 kills and five blocks over the weekend, averaging 3.20 kills per set and hitting .188 along the way. She led the team with 14 kills against Villanova in the second match of the weekend and also added 12 kills against Charleston Southern.
Fellow rookie
Clarke Tyler tallied 17 kills, averaging 1.70 per set, and hit .229 out of her middle hitter position. After a slow start, Tyler hit .500 with seven kills against Villanova, and then added nine kills against CSU.
Redshirt junior transfer
Meghan Peji contributed 16 digs as well.
Series HistoriesNSU has faced UNC Wilmington twice and East Carolina once but never Tennessee Tech. The Spartans dropped a 3-0 contest to ECU in 2009 at the Virginia Tech Tournament. NSU fell to UNC Wilmington in 2007 at the Battle of the Beach in Wilmington by a 3-0 score, and the Seahawks knocked off the Spartans again in 2012 when NSU hosted the Spartan Classic.
About East CarolinaThis weekend will mark the season opener for the Pirates. ECU went 13-19 overall last year and 3-11 in Conference USA. The Pirates did lose their best two hitters from last year in Nicole Willis (3.66 kills per set, 2.44 digs) and Whitney Campbell (2.35 kills, 2.87 digs). Also gone is Shelby Beasley, the team's best defender in 2013 (4.06 digs).
About Tennessee TechThe Golden Eagles lost all three of their matches last weekend at Appalachian State by 3-0 scores. Tennessee, Cleveland State and Appalachian State all claimed victories over the Tennessee Tech.
The Golden Eagles struggled on offense, averaging just 7.33 kills per set as a team. Cody Dodd (2.22 kills) and Kellie Williams (2.11 kills) paced the offense, with Dodd also tallying a team-best seven blocks. Courtney Smith averaged 3.56 digs per set to lead the Eagle defense.
About UNC WilmingtonThe Seahawks hosted the UNCW Hilton Garden Inn Wilmington Mayfaire Classic last weekend and finished with a 3-1 record. UNC Wilmington defeated Eastern Washington and Fairfield by 3-0 scores and also triumphed over Coastal Carolina, 3-1. North Carolina State kept the Seahawks from a perfect weekend with a 3-2 victory.
Nicole Lott and Morgan Kline led the way on offense with 3.08 and 2.87 kills per set, respectively. Meredith Peacock also added 2.13 kills and a team-leading 1.53 blocks. The Seahawks tallied 3.00 blocks per set and hit .225. Also on defense, Lindsay Hartmann posted 4.00 digs, leading the way for a squad that averaged more than 15 digs per set.
Up NextNSU will compete in the Panther Classic at the University of Pittsburgh on Sept. 12-13. The Spartans will face Niagara and Duquesne in addition to the host Panthers.
